Aquascaping Tips And Tricks

Thanks for that in depth post!

I have read and tried to understand what ion exchange resins do and one of the things I always see it do is drop the pH in the water. I always wonder how CP(chemi-pure) states that it can stabilize pH when ion exchange resins drop your pH. The only way I can see them claiming to stabilize pH is that the amount of ion resins they put inside of the bag will drop the pH and hold it there no matter what your pH is in your tank. So for example your pH is at 8.0 and you put CP in your filter the set amount of ion resins will no matter what drop your pH let's say .2. So now your pH will be set at 7.8 because the set amount of ion resins they put in the bag is supposed to drop the pH .2 degree no matter the pH in the tank.
There was 1 instance on YouTube where a pretty popular youtuber made his own chemi-pure elite and he put in something like 1:1 ratio of carbon, GFO, and ion exchange resins. Shortly after if I remember correctly he made a video that his all his fish had died. He raised Cichlids I think Haps, or Mbunas. I can't remember exactly, but what I think happened is that the amount of ion resins he used crashed his pH so fast that all his fish died. I never did see him make another video about his homemade chemi-pure elite after that.

I also agree with you 100% if it ain't broke don't fix it. But I am they type of person who likes to always try the newest things out there and see how they work. Also if you look at the ion resins used in CP elite and CP blue they are different color. If I am correct the CP blue has a Purigen looking bead in it and the company Brightwell aquatics has a "resin" that also looks like Purigen and says it doesn't take out minor, trace, and major elements in your aquarium. I have used this and it looks exactly like Purigen but it has a softer feel to it and you use table salt to regenerate it. I never understood the table salt method of regenerating your resin.

I think the only way to see if something like CP-green does what it says is to use a TDS meter and take a reading of your water before adding in CPG with your Ferts already in the water and take that reading and then put the CPG in the water and check the levels everyday. The only draw back is that if the levels dro you don't know what exactly is dropping, it could be anything.

For now all I can say is that I really enjoyed this "conversation" as it stimulated my thinking and I haven't had a "conversation" like this for a long time. It's good to have someone who likes to think and break down things. As a student I LOVED science and especially marine biology and these things were never used or thought of in the 90's when I was in HS(it shows you how OLD I am).

I really hope that one day someone can/will figure out what exactly does CP contain and how it works. I guess for now we can only guess at what it does, and as new products come out maybe one day someone can put 2 and 2 together and wah'lah -CP.

Thanks for this invigorating conversation! And Thanks for this awesome Thread!

Brandon

 

Hi. Love this post! Thanks for taking the time . I do have a couple questions for someone interested in getting into aquascaping. I've been working on planning out a 75 gallon for some time now. Slowly collecting my rocks and driftwood. I joined this forum really to gain more knowledge about every aspect. I began with a 20 gallon just to see if I can actually grow plants underwater, mostly if I can get a carpeting plant to carpet. Two questions have come from my experience that I've had trouble finding an answer to.

• How do you keep a carpeting plant from growing into your midground and background plants? Will having something like a dwarf hairgrass surround a Myrio kill the Myrio?
• My 20 g has a LED light setup that sits over the length of the tank a 1/2 inch from the lid. I have a glass top that folds in the middle. The light sits on the back half and I'm finding my carpet is growing faster there. Moving the light creates a bad lighting experience for the viewer and the background plants to not get a good amount of light. What do you recommend? Raising the light? Adding another light in front? Other?

Thanks so much!

 

Hi. Love this post! Thanks for taking the time .

• How do you keep a carpeting plant from growing into your midground and background plants? Will having something like a dwarf hairgrass surround a Myrio kill the Myrio?
• My 20 g has a LED light setup that sits over the length of the tank a 1/2 inch from the lid. I have a glass top that folds in the middle. The light sits on the back half and I'm finding my carpet is growing faster there. Moving the light creates a bad lighting experience for the viewer and the background plants to not get a good amount of light. What do you recommend? Raising the light? Adding another light in front? Other?

Thanks so much!

Thanks I've been trying to add to this thread whenever I think of something clever.

• That's fantastic you imagined this problem beforehand! You can go about plant separation two ways.

1. Design hardscape with natural barricades that separate foreground plants, mid ground plants, and backgrounds. Now, it's likely going to look weird if you try to do this all the time. Understanding what plants you wish to go into the tank before attempting to aquascape makes all the difference. By visualizing where you'd like every plant to go and how it looks 6 months from now and then hardscaping these areas to help separate different plants goes a long way. Plants growing into each other isn't just a carpeting plant issue - it's an all plants issue all the time. You'll probably find carpeting plants like DHG the least of your worries. While it will spread under correct conditions, it spreads slowly in areas that are shaded by other plants giving you plenty of time to -
2. Trimming, or correct trimming to separate plants is your next approach. Placement of a plant and separation with hardscape (example: laying rocks and building the substrate to a higher level behind it) is #1 for a reason, but plants will always spread in a way you can't predict. You can trim plants with such as DHG to stop 1/2" from the plants and pull any runners that cross that line. While this won't look as visually overgrown from any angle except the front by keeping plants where you want them by trimming the strays that cross imaginary boundaries is key as well. Will plants choke each other out if conditions are good light and Co2? They can, but generally they'll grow in different ways to seek out the light and better flow.

• This is a question that I asked myself why a long time ago, and it was a result from my constant browsing of professional aquascapes in all their glory that caused it. Very few aquascapes look as good in a photo in terms of light all of the time. Lights are added for pictures, whereas the day-to-day visual may be different and much less impactful. I'd move your light back to the middle so all the plants grow well at the same time and forget about what looks better as it grows. Raising the light sometimes helps visually, but the only solution to bad visual light is as you figured out adding more light. A single LED has a poor spread, which leads to poor visuals. I have a few tanks I run two lights just because if I used only one I'd have that non-flattering look about it. Most aquascapes are using a much more intense and brighter light, raised higher to give a better spread and view. If you're going to add more light remember that you're adding much stronger lighting and have to compensate Co2 and Nutrient levels as well.

 

What I also learned in my aquascaping, is that if you can start with a big tank it is easier to do, especially for a beginner. The reason behind that is with smal tanks everything has to be a bit more precise, things here and there have to almost perfect if you want to get that aquascape you are looking for.
With a bigger tank maybe a 30 breeder for example you have more room to spare. If you watch videos of professional aquascapers they are using small tanks. And it's the small tanks that showcase the look they are going for. It is not to say that you cannot do that with a big tank, but for more intricate detailing it is going to take a lot more work and a LOT more time.
That's just my opinion and In whatever tank you decide to use Good Luck!

 

Is dwarf sag an easy beginnger plant for a carpet? A few places I've read said it was and should be fine with just flourish comprehensive and root tabs(no CO2 injection)

 

Is dwarf sag an easy beginnger plant for a carpet? A few places I've read said it was and should be fine with just flourish comprehensive and root tabs(no CO2 injection)

It can be, but substrate and light are key factors. Either one is going to determine if it can carpet in low light, and when I say carpet you can't expect it to be a lush green carpet like you may have seen elsewhere. Expect it to be darker and not filled dense unless you plant heavily and have optimal conditions to begin with.

I wouldn't use plain sand and root tabs in low light. For the best chance you might want to consider spending the money to get flourite, or other options.

Don't expect it to do much but survive under very low light, either. Depending on tank size your best bet is to find a good light with a dimming function.

 

Thanks I've been trying to add to this thread whenever I think of something clever.

• That's fantastic you imagined this problem beforehand! You can go about plant separation two ways.

1. Design hardscape with natural barricades that separate foreground plants, mid ground plants, and backgrounds. Now, it's likely going to look weird if you try to do this all the time. Understanding what plants you wish to go into the tank before attempting to aquascape makes all the difference. By visualizing where you'd like every plant to go and how it looks 6 months from now and then hardscaping these areas to help separate different plants goes a long way. Plants growing into each other isn't just a carpeting plant issue - it's an all plants issue all the time. You'll probably find carpeting plants like DHG the least of your worries. While it will spread under correct conditions, it spreads slowly in areas that are shaded by other plants giving you plenty of time to -
2. Trimming, or correct trimming to separate plants is your next approach. Placement of a plant and separation with hardscape (example: laying rocks and building the substrate to a higher level behind it) is #1 for a reason, but plants will always spread in a way you can't predict. You can trim plants with such as DHG to stop 1/2" from the plants and pull any runners that cross that line. While this won't look as visually overgrown from any angle except the front by keeping plants where you want them by trimming the strays that cross imaginary boundaries is key as well. Will plants choke each other out if conditions are good light and Co2? They can, but generally they'll grow in different ways to seek out the light and better flow.

• This is a question that I asked myself why a long time ago, and it was a result from my constant browsing of professional aquascapes in all their glory that caused it. Very few aquascapes look as good in a photo in terms of light all of the time. Lights are added for pictures, whereas the day-to-day visual may be different and much less impactful. I'd move your light back to the middle so all the plants grow well at the same time and forget about what looks better as it grows. Raising the light sometimes helps visually, but the only solution to bad visual light is as you figured out adding more light. A single LED has a poor spread, which leads to poor visuals. I have a few tanks I run two lights just because if I used only one I'd have that non-flattering look about it. Most aquascapes are using a much more intense and brighter light, raised higher to give a better spread and view. If you're going to add more light remember that you're adding much stronger lighting and have to compensate Co2 and Nutrient levels as well.

Thanks again! Couple follow up questions if you'd allow me to!

• Ever used strips of plastic just under the surface of the substrate as a barrier to isolate plants? Was going to give it a shot.
• In regards to increasing C02 and nutrients when increasing light, how do you calculate? How do you recommend best how to keep the PH constant while changing C02 levels? Especially if there is some trial and error involved?

 

Thanks again! Couple follow up questions if you'd allow me to!

• Ever used strips of plastic just under the surface of the substrate as a barrier to isolate plants? Was going to give it a shot.
• In regards to increasing C02 and nutrients when increasing light, how do you calculate? How do you recommend best how to keep the PH constant while changing C02 levels? Especially if there is some trial and error involved?

• It's good in theory, but most often what you are referring to is a sort of retaining wall to keep the substrate from shifting downhill over time, but you'll find aquatic plants care little about barricades such as this and will run right over the top or around without care. Careful plant selection and planning will be a more useful tool.
• Check page #3 post #45 in this thread. While it won't be the exact answer, the thing is... I can't tell you the exact answer. What I can say is when using a typical glass Co2 diffuser in a heavily planted 20G tank with approximately 60 micromuls of PAR @ substrate level I typically run Co2 at a rate of 3 Bubbles Per Second [BPS], dosing Macro and Micro nutrients 1/2 the recommended E.I. dose daily, excluding nitrates - But I'll never be able to tell you exactly what you should do to maintain healthy growth and a mostly algae-free tank. Your tank will be completely different than mine. These levels will also greatly depend on your lighting, Co2 system as well as what nutrients you are dosing. As far as shifting pH goes, if you are injecting Co2 and use a Solenoid that turns on 1-2 hrs before the lights turn on and shuts off 1 hr or so before lights turn off you will hardly notice a pH difference. If you are not using a Solenoid on a Co2 injection or DiY system and run Co2 24/7 don't worry about pH swings unless you naturally have a pH that's acidic. Fish can adapt to these fluctuations without harm as long as they aren't very rapid.

 

• It's good in theory, but most often what you are referring to is a sort of retaining wall to keep the substrate from shifting downhill over time, but you'll find aquatic plants care little about barricades such as this and will run right over the top or around without care. Careful plant selection and planning will be a more useful tool.
• Check page #3 post #45 in this thread. While it won't be the exact answer, the thing is... I can't tell you the exact answer. What I can say is when using a typical glass Co2 diffuser in a heavily planted 20G tank with approximately 60 micromuls of PAR @ substrate level I typically run Co2 at a rate of 3 Bubbles Per Second [BPS], dosing Macro and Micro nutrients 1/2 the recommended E.I. dose daily, excluding nitrates - But I'll never be able to tell you exactly what you should do to maintain healthy growth and a mostly algae-free tank. Your tank will be completely different than mine. These levels will also greatly depend on your lighting, Co2 system as well as what nutrients you are dosing. As far as shifting pH goes, if you are injecting Co2 and use a Solenoid that turns on 1-2 hrs before the lights turn on and shuts off 1 hr or so before lights turn off you will hardly notice a pH difference. If you are not using a Solenoid on a Co2 injection or DiY system and run Co2 24/7 don't worry about pH swings unless you naturally have a pH that's acidic. Fish can adapt to these fluctuations without harm as long as they aren't very rapid.

I think I asked that last question poorly. I know you can calculate the range of CO2 a tank should have by looking at the PH and KH. I'm not sure the impact of adding more light. How does this change CO2 levels (essentially why the need to increase when adding light)? If adding light lowers CO2 then I assume a PH change would happen in tandem. Does that make sense or have I mis-understood the relationship?

 

I think I asked that last question poorly. I know you can calculate the range of CO2 a tank should have by looking at the PH and KH. I'm not sure the impact of adding more light. How does this change CO2 levels (essentially why the need to increase when adding light)? If adding light lowers CO2 then I assume a PH change would happen in tandem. Does that make sense or have I mis-understood the relationship?

Co2 does have an impact on pH, as it introduces carbonic acid to the water causing an increase in hydrogen ion presence and a decrease in pH. You can introduce Co2 to a cup of water by blowing air through a straw. The Co2 we respirate is easily detectable in this experiment. What effects these have depends on our tank.

Low-Tech:

As an example if we have a tank with 30 PAR [low lighting] and the pH is 7.8 steadily, then whether the light is on or off the pH will be very close to 7.8. This low light tank is drawing from 2 or more sources of Co2. One form is atmospheric, which is diffusion of Co2 from the air around us into the tank water - very low levels. The other form is Co2 respiration from stocking - another low level of Co2. For the most part these two forms of Co2 (how plants naturally obtain Co2) will not cause much difference in pH whether the lights are running, nor is the light strong enough for the slower photosynthesis process it creates to demand more Co2.


High-Tech:

I assume you're referring to Co2 injection with a pressurized/high light, or a high tech set up. In this set up we have very high light 70 PAR which ramps up the photosynthesis process - the difference between lightly pressing the gas peddle in a car or putting it to the floor, the latter being high light. This increase in lighting and photosynthesis has much higher demands than low light, which is like fuel consumption in our car - driving 70mph on a runway consumes more fuel than driving 30mph. This increased fuel consumption in terms of our planted tank is an increased demand for Co2 and nutrients, and since both atmospheric Co2 and that created through respiration give very low levels the higher lighting and photosynthesis will quickly consume what little Co2 is available. No Co2 and plants can't photosynthesize, algae and deficiency is promoted. At higher production rates injecting additional Co2 is necessary so plants don't bottom out and photosynthesis can continue throughout the lighting period. So if we increase lighting, putting the peddle to the floor, and we don't increase our fuel to match we run out of gas and if plants aren't photosynthesizing than algae is.

This second scenario is where Co2 and pH fluctuations can occur. Under normal circumstance in the first scenario the level of Co2 won't cause much difference throughout the day, but when we start adding additional Co2 into the tank we change the natural balance and cause pH to lower due to the water turning more acidic. In most cases this increase in Co2 is met by an increase in lighting and nutrients and all are increased in balance, so the tank may be having additional Co2 added but if using a pressurized system this increase is balanced and stable so Co2 levels don't cause pH to drop much more than a low light tank because the higher lighting levels is causing the plants to consume it at a balanced rate - ideally - and preventing such a drop.

You are essentially balancing Co2 and light in a way that works similar to a low light tank, except at a much faster rate of growth.

Edit: I think you may be trying to ask two different questions and possibly due to your inexperience I'm not interpreting it right.

1.) the relationship between Co2 and pH

A. Carbonic acid is relatively strong acid that dissociates causing an increase in hydrogen ions, lowering the pH value of water

2.) Co2 and Nutrient demands in high lighting

A. Increased lighting increases photosynthesis production, which in turn creates a higher demand for carbon - namely, Co2 - and Macro + Micro nutrients in order to keep up with the production.


Let me know if I missed something

 

Why Do We Recommend a 'Siesta'?

First off, I don't under normal circumstances - which will get to later. Second, I think siesta was maybe a cute term to label this practice ump-teen years ago, yet the cuteness does little to describe what it's for, who it's for, and why it's an option? Wouldn't just calling it a "Dark period of Co2 accumulation" or even better "A photosynthetic break, in which lights are shut off to allow respiratory Co2 levels (or other natural means of Co2) to accumulate to a higher level before continuing photosynthesis" been sufficient. Okay, it's not as catchy or as cute, but if any of you have ever mentioned a siesta to a beginner 9/10 times you had to explain something like that anyways, which means the six letters you lazily wrote and their cuteness failed to impart any wisdom and you had to type it out anyways -

Planted Tank 'siesta': An intermit in plant photosynthesis sometime after Co2 levels fall to unfavorable levels created by shutting off available lighting completely to a planted low-tech fish tank in order to allow levels of Co2 to accumulate to a higher level than had previously been available at the end of the first period of photosynthesis. Co2 accumulation in this case is from the respiration of tank inhabitants, respiration of bacteria, natural decay (dirt tanks), but can only be achieved by reducing surface agitation to a very minimal disturbance.

When we 'Siesta' Wrong...

Low-Light/Low-Tech 'siesta': Once agin, this practice is traced back to Diana Walstad and her book "Ecology of the Planted Tank" as far as I can tell, but this over-practice and the likelihood that it is in fact providing you with a better source of Co2 throughout the entire photoperiod can hardly be blamed on her. In some cases such as a Walstad Tank it is an advisable practice that helps fast-growing stem plants have the necessary levels of Co2 to continue photosynthetic production that creates this natural ecosystem, however, the majority of people who practice or recommend this siesta have -

A.) Understood this practice entirely and their tank and plant selection reflect accurately why it is necessary
B.) Never tried a Walstad Tank and assume it's a good practice for low-light tanks
C.) Never read the book, never questioned the siesta's origins

I assume we all live in a world where red means STOP/Incorrect and green means GO/correct... right? A world where on multiple choice tests our brains - whenever in doubt of the true answer - resorted to an unknown formula that claims C.) is likely the correct answer and if that wasn't right B.) had the next highest chance of being right whereas A.) had the lowest chance. Well, that high-school level of experienced guesswork is what my brain falls back on whenever I see someone recommend a siesta to someone else and than either flies away, or they do it because that's the hours in which they are most able to view the tank... LIAR! You practice it because someone else told you the same thing and then they flew away from the thread because (be honest with me) who sits and views a tank for 4 hours, then leaves for 4 hours every day, then comes back to look at the tank for 4 hours. Alright, maybe not ALL of you because some of us have weird schedules and our availability isn't the same - some of us really like to look at the tanks we care for and want to see them whenever we can. It's relaxing, lovely, entertaining, foreign, unfinished, a world our own... the rest of you are still lying... I don't need to know whether you're truthful or not because I have another simple test. Say "yes" to the ones that apply, and please don't say it out loud if you're in a public area because hearing the person next to you in the coffee shop mumble to themselves is awkward and weird - at least that's what the couple at the table to my right told me.

1. My plants consist of slow-growing beginner plants such as Java Ferns, Anubias, Moss only; or very few stem plants with low-light
2. My lights are effectively low-lighting in terms of PAR... >30 and plant growth is usually very slow even on plants deemed 'FAST'.
3. I have a Hang on Back filter, internal canister filter, air stones or anything else that causes disturbance across the surface of water.
4. I dose one form of liquid carbon or another - most commonly Flourish Excel
5. I have a Co2 Injected tank
6. My tank is stocked very low, or no fish at all

If you answered yes to any of 1-6 I'm in an awkward position to say you're wasting your time and you are confused and oh-so wrong if for one second you thought this was helping Co2 in your tank. Now that I think about it, that wasn't awkward... I feel pretty good about finally getting that off my chest.

The halt in photosynthesis is to allow respiration from fish and like freshwater creatures, as well as bacteria, to have a chance to breathe and I mean that quite literally. With each breath they exhale that all natural Co2 plants are eager and happy to recycle for us back into that oh-so-sweet and delicious O2 we gasp for when there's not enough in a room, and we unknowingly imprison in our lungs whenever an attractive member of the opposite gender smiles in our direction. This means that any of 4-5 means a siesta in which Co2 is allowed to accumulate is not needed in the slightest since an alternate method is provided, and while 6 may be practical as an idea a tank with very low stocking will likely not generate a significant amount of Co2 that could not be provided sufficiently by our atmosphere. If you answered yes to 1 then you are a elitist if you are a beginner and selected plants that have a low demand for Co2 under low light and won't require this break - good on you! - and if you answered yes to 2 you're lighting isn't intense enough to create a high enough demand for Co2 for it to even matter unless planted in such a way you have an over abundance of fast-growing Co2 hungry stem plants. 3 means you don't understand or care that carbon dioxide exists as a trace gas in Earth's atmosphere at the very low concentration of 0.04% and that if Co2 levels in water are higher than that present in the atmosphere that this surface agitation causes the higher concentration of Co2 in the water to "gas off" through atmospheric equilibrium, loosely meaning that you can't have a higher concentration of Co2 in water that is exchanging gasses than the downward force our o.o4% atmospheric Co2 without the tank trying to exhale that extra Co2 back upward to the atmosphere.

When is a Siesta a good thing or unneeded?

Variables are variable from one tank to another, but generally a siesta period can provide essential Co2 under circumstances. Co2 is no more allergic to water than oxygen is but because it's constantly attempting to reach natural equilibrium and that level is extremely low we can conclude that surface agitation increases the speed at which this happens. In tanks that have a dirt substrate natural decomposition provides a source of Co2 in small amounts. This source of decomposition is actually provided by the pieces of decaying wood commonly found in them if I'm not mistaken. This Co2 along with respired Co2 from stocking and bacteria can potentially create a higher concentration of Co2 than our atmosphere will introduce through equilibrium, so surface agitation in dirt tanks is likely non-beneficial because Co2 levels can reach a much higher concentration without, allowing for faster growth or more Co2 demanding plants in which a siesta is beneficial to heighten levels of Co2.

In cases where something in your tank is depleting these levels of Co2 to a point it bottoms out, then a siesta can be used as a break.

In a lot of cases when plant growth is low, or plants are undemanding in Co2 (even if planted heavily) it's generally not needed, nor recommended.

I never recommend a siesta because I never want to tell someone to plant a low-light tank in which the Co2 demand would outweigh what can be achieved by respiration and surface agitation without breaking the photoperiod, and we do want the surface water agitated to break the protein films and for relative beauty. Choosing the plants that are undemanding means your final aquascape will take much longer to become lush and beautiful, but the problems some have because they've created due to Co2 demand vs natural means is outweighed, either forcing them to Siesta, or likely inevitably break down and liquid dose carbon. Most often I never try to provide a reason behind a problem that creates continuing cost for any of us because fish-keeping is expensive and I think excel and breaks in the tank's light should only be used if you are trying to enhance your aquascape, and not sustain it with the additional Co2 even if the means are natural.

Told you in the first paragraph that I'd get to why I don't recommend a siesta and I remembered. - Sil

 

Thank you for that incredibly detailed description of your thoughts. I tried my best to take it all in, essentially my question to you is (and I may have missed it), - if not a siesta photoperiod, then what would you recommend? 14 hours of full light?

 

Thank you for that incredibly detailed description of your thoughts. I tried my best to take it all in, essentially my question to you is (and I may have missed it), - if not a siesta photoperiod, then what would you recommend? 14 hours of full light?

It's a lot to take in, and not an easy concept to grasp.

14 hrs is too long. It's written throughout forums an 8 - 12 hr photoperiod is ideal, but this time period is incredibly outdated as more efficient lighting became available.

I use LEDs on primarily everything and whether I run Co2 or not I've never had much success running a photoperiod longer than 8 hrs. I've used other forms of lighting and 8 hrs is always the very longest I can run a light without algae forming or diatoms developing.

My most algae-free and healthiest tanks are ALWAYS low-light tanks that run a cheap glass lily pipe instead of a spray bar. Now, the lily pipe isn't worth noting, but how it's designed is that water runs into a cup-shape and it follows the glass in a curve upwards to the surface in a spiral that creates a lot of surface agitation that introduces oxygen and Co2 in our air into the water one tank is heavily planted, but because of the low level of light the stocking and bacterial respiration and good surface agitation keep this tank very clean 90% of the time, save for diatoms in the glass.

 

Three questions
First off I will say I don't use a siesta. however, a lot of the time I see it recommended is when people are dealing with algae issues, not as much for co2 replenishment (even though this is where it came from). Beyond that their tanks are out of whack with lighting/ferts/co2/plant/fish balance, assuming they weren't fixing the issue and the siesta helped, would you be recommending for those cases?

Secondly... what lighting do you use on your low light tanks?
Third... lily pipes. Been hearing a lot about them lately... unfortunately I either have sunsun canisters which the tubing is to big and aquaclear hobs (all sizes from 20-110). Any chance you've seen a way to use the lily pies in these instances? My interest mostly came from disliking input/outputs and the desire to have them "disappear". The more I look into the pipes, their benefits seem great, more then a simple "appearance" fix.

 

Three questions
First off I will say I don't use a siesta. however, a lot of the time I see it recommended is when people are dealing with algae issues, not as much for co2 replenishment (even though this is where it came from).

Typically, the owner is the problem - fixing their bad habits fixes all the problems. Their are two types of aquascapers and planted tank owners. The first are the balanced few of you that are patient, tank their time, attempt to absorb as much advice and knowledge they can. When they run into problems they are eager to identify and correct the issue. These are very safe owners, and they are hands down better than the category I fall into. The second type of us run in guns blazing, pushing everything to limits we aren't aware and have little hope to identify in time. We over-light, we overdose, we over-stock... we're just so far over and under nearly every limited boundary that the safe owner doesn't force themselves to cross that when we first succeed it's usually by pure accident. The brighter we burn, the faster we burnout and when we fail we do so much more extreme then the safe owner.

Beyond that their tanks are out of whack with lighting/ferts/co2/plant/fish balance, assuming they weren't fixing the issue and the siesta helped, would you be recommending for those cases?

I think you hammered that nail so hard right on the head with this first part. Everything is usually so out of whack to begin with that it's commonly hard to find a conclusion that makes sense. What we know is that Co2 is a much harder nutrient to detect than Micro/Macro nutrients without professional grade equipment. We never notice it when it's present at good levels, but we definitely notice it when it's not present and all H-E-double hockey sticks breaks loose with algae, yet... that's only a effect and not the cause. Co2 deficiency is not a cause either, but an effect of an overabundance of light usually from any of the following:

1. Interrupted breaks in the dark period. I've done this no-no to myself more times than I can count. The easiest time to fix a tank is when everyone else in the household is asleep, which usually means the tank light has been off and everything is in sleep mode. I flip on my tank light and want to spend only 30 minutes - 1 hr tweaking the tank. That turns into 3 hrs later, the tank light has been on the whole time, the plants are photosynthesizing and the typical 6-8hrs the light should have been on that day became 9-11hrs. Sometimes it's longer. I know now I have just created a problem I will see sometime next week in the form of algae, but new tank owners rarely realize this in itself upset a balance the tank had adjusted to. Insanity pursues...
2. Following the well-noted 8-12 hrs you should be giving light to your tank and maximizing that 12th hour. Very few people will actually claim anything over 8hrs is good for much anything but algae that have tried longer photoperiods. None of my low or high light tanks run more than 7hrs (just checked) with high-light Co2 tanks being 5-6 hrs in a 24hr period.
3. Maximizing light output to maximize the growth without understanding the increase in photosynthesis increases a much higher demand of Co2 and other nutrients, or to put it plainly using a light much too strong.

While there may be more causes, these came to mind for noob mistakes. In correcting one, or sometimes all three of these causes, for an overabundance of light the algae the siesta fixed would likely cease to form. What I would recommend to people that had a problem that went away with a siesta suggestion is a rule I've had to hammer into my brain: Don't fix what isn't broken and don't dwell in one place too long. Unless, that is, they want to get rid of the siesta break then trying any or all of these three no-no can correct it either by using a timer and leaving the lights off once they shut of no matter what or by reducing the intensity of their light by raising it.

This only applies to tanks not following the Walstad Method in their true form. Diana's Walstad Tank is a method she developed and the siesta should be applied under her directions. The reason why is she recommends strong circulation and minimal surface agitation to retain natural Co2 for photoperiods of around 12 hrs in her tanks.

Tom Barr, equally if not more impressive, recommends surface agitation and strong circulation on his low-light tanks which are not designed the way Diana designed her Walstad Tank, except the tank he did design to competitively do the same thing as her natural ecosystem using Flourish Excel to solve the #1 flaw of a Walstad Tank which inevitably becomes Co2 deficiency farther down the road.

Secondly... what lighting do you use on your low light tanks?
Third... lily pipes. Been hearing a lot about them lately... unfortunately I either have sunsun canisters which the tubing is to big and aquaclear hobs (all sizes from 20-110). Any chance you've seen a way to use the lily pies in these instances? My interest mostly came from disliking input/outputs and the desire to have them "disappear". The more I look into the pipes, their benefits seem great, more then a simple "appearance" fix.

They do have larger pipes to fit the sunsun canister's humongous tubing, but you pay more for it. On my sunsun 602b the nano glass pipes fit this standard 1/2 inch filter hose ($10 or so from california or china) while the bigger hose I believe is 5/8ths inch and requires a 17mm glass lily pipe at least on my 303B. They aren't much more expensive, but they certainly won't be $10. Here you can look at the different sizes, but note that these are just the intakes and not a set with both intake/outflow. I would just double check your hose size in a seller's description before purchase the size you want.



If you look back a page or two in this thread I wrote about the different styles of glass pipes and their uses.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and as far as light I prefer using a Chihiros A-series light in most tanks (High or low light) because of the dimming function and the 9,000k light looks amazing with green plants. Never thought I'd like a spectrum outside of 6,500 - 7,000 but they're just awesome and very affordable lights for tanks 24" long or less. These lights are ran less than half strength for low-light tanks.

My second choice are Finnex Stingrays for longer tanks. I don't like this light for any other reason than affordability vs Finnex planted+ 24/7 and its dimming function. The price is better, but they're kind of meh...

Dimming function to me is a strong selling point.

 

The most versatile Aquascaping Plants -

Mosses... yeah, hands down mosses are some of the most versatile plants to use in a Aquascaping. I'll drop an example of mine below, but by all means if anyone out there has a better picture of what mosses are capable of I'd gladly rather have that picture showcased because this was really my very first time going crazy with moss.



Mosses are great for planted tanks, but for Aquaecapes they are so intricately designed, so versatile that whenever mosses aren't showcased in Aquascapes there can be a sense of artificial replication, meaning that it looks exactly what it shouldn't look like and that is a hardscape you or I set down and planted. Mosses give rocks and driftwood a look of aged consent, as if the hardscape has been there much longer than 90-180 days.

Mosses are also intricate when viewed up close and blend to form cohesion and a sense of depth from farther away. On top of that there is literally a moss for every scenario. In my example picture I used moss as both ground cover and to fill in the upper portions of trees. The majority of the tree work is done in either Christmas Moss or Weeping Moss, but right under that I have done an equal amount of work creating the foreground by securing Java Moss, Flame Moss and Weeping Moss to rocks at the front. This mixed variety and time-consuming labor of securing all those mosses adds a variety more often seen in true nature than a fish tank. Now the above tank is still in progress, so everything isn't just right yet, but I know I would have never been able to get such a unique foreground had I used any other type of plant.

Some great mosses are -

Java Moss
Christmas Moss
Weeping Moss
Pheonix Moss
Flame Moss
Coral Moss

 

Co2 does have an impact on pH, as it introduces carbonic acid to the water causing an increase in hydrogen ion presence and a decrease in pH. You can introduce Co2 to a cup of water by blowing air through a straw. The Co2 we respirate is easily detectable in this experiment. What effects these have depends on our tank.
<snip>
Let me know if I missed something

Yes this answers my question well! thanks! I think where I'm still getting stuck is the following.

Assume I have a high tech setup. Lights, C02. The whole shebang. I have a balanced system. We'll just say for an example I sitting pretty with 3KH, 6.8 PH and 14 ppm CO2. To reach that sweet spot do you add enough CO2 for the excess to =14 PPM? If my CO2 runs out does my PH jump to over 8 because my plants with high lighting have sucked up the reserves?

 

Yes this answers my question well! thanks! I think where I'm still getting stuck is the following.

Assume I have a high tech setup. Lights, C02. The whole shebang. I have a balanced system. We'll just say for an example I sitting pretty with 3KH, 6.8 PH and 14 ppm CO2. To reach that sweet spot do you add enough CO2 for the excess to =14 PPM? If my CO2 runs out does my PH jump to over 8 because my plants with high lighting have sucked up the reserves?

Can't say I've ever really thought about it, so I've never tested pH to see the jump and determine how fast it happens. I've had tanks run out of Co2 during the photoperiod and within a few hours the color in a drop checker will change from yellow (30ppm Co2 I believe?) to green, then to blue - meaning the pH has altered.
Since you're artificially altering the pH of tank water when Co2 injecting the pH will definitely return to it's normal state if you run out, but it's not instantaneous. It's gradual. As the plants consume the extra Co2 the carbonic acids will dissipate.

And to reach that sweet spot really depends on your tank setup. One tank I own is Co2 injected 24/7 at a rate that keeps Co2 constant at 30ppm. I'm actually injecting less on this tank than I do on others because I'm allowing it to build up during the times when the light is off, so it's likely less than another tank of mine to keep it at that level. Another tank uses a solenoid to control off/on. This Co2 kicks on hours before the lights come on and shuts off before the lights turn off. In this case I'm injecting more than the other tank to increase the pressence of Co2. Lights come on and Co2 is at 30ppm, and it stays that way in order to reach that level within 2 hrs and maintain that level for 7 hrs before shutting down.

 

A Perception of Aquascaping and Natural Hardscapes

I'm not going into what not to add and what you should look out for when gathering your own hardscape, as I've already covered that a few pages back, so if you have questions please do a little searching in this thread for other posts where I wrote about hardscape.

I live in Minnesota, and last spring was the first time I looked for Hardscape, and it was a challenge at first. In Minnesota we have an abundant amount of lakes, rivers and dried beds. According to the geological history I remember from my teacher, Mr. Ratz in 6th grade, a few million years ago Minnesota was completely covered in glacial ice that moved and retreated across this part of the U.S., leaving us with flawed, flattened land with over 10,000 lakes (trust me, they're counting small, fishless ponds...) and a stone scape that's comprised primarily of sand stones, slates, iron ore deposits and granite. While there is also a variety of stones and compositions of color our vast watery resources makes most of these stones smooth and round.

History lesson aside, when I went out looking for Hardscape in my own back yard I didn't find what I was looking for - it's rare for many of us to. What I was looking for was Seiryu Stone, Dragon Stone, etc... Rocks we often see displayed in professional tanks, or even more famously in Amano's tanks. Okay, I wasn't looking for these stones exactly but I was looking for stones with just as much character as these stones have, and I didn't find anything. For the longest time I thought my only means of getting stones was eBay sellers at dashingly steep prices. What I failed to realize was that TakashI Amano used Seriyu in IwagumI because in Japan this stone is naturally found there, and he was literally recreating the scenery around him through aquascaping. When he wanted to recreate an amazon jungle, he used plants and wood found in the amazon, so it dawned on me... When you use Seiryu Stone, but have never actually seen a formation of it naturally, you aren't recreating nature - you're actually imitating someone else's recreation of nature.

I set this in my mind the next time I went out and stopped looking for stones that weren't natural to me. I started looking at logs, grasses, natural stone formations and riverbeds with fallen trees. What I discovered was that I had natural hardscape all around me. This wasn't stones or woods that I could use to imitate an IwagumI or nature aquascape I'd seen online. This was quite literally an invitation from nature to recreate portions of it that maybe even the most experienced aquascapers hadn't seen because they didn't live where I did. I started gathering every stone I thought looked good, gathered woods that were found around these stones and I began to piece out my own aquascapes not in an attempt to recreate imitation, but one unique to me.

What I discovered was that all the smooth riverstones made an ideal riverbed, or if I smashed them with a hammer they became something else instead; a stone fragment that became much more diverse. All the wood I gathered and all the wood I've bought online looked similar beneath the water, and all it cost me was time and a little scrounging in the forest, around lakes, rivers, and although my neighbors and mother probably wouldn't appreciate I sometimes took a gander in rock beds. Sure, I asked if I saw a stone, but I was always looking from then on.

So the best hardscape is what's most natural to you. You know how to lay it, how to plant it, because it's right outside your window. TakashI Amano never wanted 10,000 fish keepers to imitate his work, although the idea probably didn't hurt his mindset. What that dude wanted was to recreate nature so you could see what he saw.

Just thought this was a good note. Not so much a tip or trick, but Einstein once said anyone could be a genius so long as they could change the way they thought about things. The same applies to aquascaping. Anyone can do it, so long as you stop trying to imitate someone else's imitation and change what you wish to design to what you know - what you see and feel all around you every day, every hour, every minute, second...

-Sil

 

Part 1 of 3

Intermediate Level VS Cheap Tool Sets

The first set of tools are an intermediate level set in both cost & design. While one could argue this is a tad higher than most hobbyists budget and some of the tools become very specialized the whole set cost less than $70 w/ algae scraper + substrate rake. There are far more expensive sets, so instead of labeling this as an Intermediate set let's just call it a -

- Quality Set -

Scissors


Top: curved wavy (foreground scissors)




Middle: straight scissors




Bottom: 6" (160 mm) spring scissors







Narrow/Fine-tipped pincet (tweezers) + scissors






Top: Angled Pincet






Bottom: Straight Pincet








Hanger Mount











(Cheap set will be added next)

 

- Continued)

Cheap Set




Quality Angled Pincet (bottom) cheap










Quality straight scissors (bottom)vs cheap




Quality




Cheap




There's not really a cheap curved wavy scissors or spring scissor so this next photo shows a quality curved wavy vs other







Cheap hanger mount

 

- continued)

Algae scraper







Cheap gravel rake

 

What brand of algae scraper is that? I have been looking for one just like that.

Thanks!

 

What brand of algae scraper is that? I have been looking for one just like that.

Thanks!

I think it's the 26 inch model of Moss



The one I have is unbranded on the actual algae scraper, unlike some of my other tools, so I'm not positive anymore. You can find cheaper 3-piece 26" models for around $10. on eBay. There's not much difference buying this one or a cheaper version - the only real difference being strength of steel. Watch out for the China models that have an untextured top handle or are 1 piece.

 

I think it's the 26 inch model of Moss



The one I have is unbranded on the actual algae scraper, unlike some of my other tools, so I'm not positive anymore. You can find cheaper 3-piece 26" models for around $10. on eBay. There's not much difference buying this one or a cheaper version - the only real difference being strength of steel. Watch out for the China models that have an untextured top handle or are 1 piece.

Thanks for the link! The one I have has a head that cannot fit regular razors. I have looked high and low for a razor that will fit the head of my algae scraper. When I first got it, it came with this dull piece of metal that wouldn't scrape algae from glass. It would kinda like smear it.
And because the middle part doesn't have a screw the middle is where I have the most problems.

This is how the one I have looks like......




Thanks for the link and THANKS for the awesome Thread!

 

A Perception of Aquascaping and Natural Hardscapes

Just thought this was a good note. Not so much a tip or trick, but Einstein once said anyone could be a genius so long as they could change the way they thought about things. The same applies to aquascaping. Anyone can do it, so long as you stop trying to imitate someone else's imitation and change what you wish to design to what you know - what you see and feel all around you every day, every hour, every minute, second...

-Sil

This is wonderful

 

Thanks for the link! The one I have has a head that cannot fit regular razors. I have looked high and low for a razor that will fit the head of my algae scraper. When I first got it, it came with this dull piece of metal that wouldn't scrape algae from glass. It would kinda like smear it.
And because the middle part doesn't have a screw the middle is where I have the most problems.

This is how the one I have looks like......

View attachment 297736

Thanks for the link and THANKS for the awesome Thread!

Wow! That is a completely weird design to something that should be simple. Yeah, you can fit smaller razor blades in the one I have.

 

This is wonderful

Thank you!

That was really a spur of the moment write for no particular reason other than boredom while looking through aquascaping contest winning entries, trying to find the name of a certain plant. Some of the top ten are solid designs, awesome work, but kind of the same - a serious trend of it's good but we've seen it done every year since the contest began. There was a pattern to some years (some not) where the actual 1st place winner provided pictures of their tank which often boggled the mind and made you wonder what/where/why? and there it was. Realization that my mind needed to ask those questions because I'd never seen something like it. With how detailed and well-executed the tanks were, you could tell the person who aquascaped it they weren't imitating a set style or technique. They were actually taking a scene they'd seen once, or twice, or maybe every day for their entire life, and relating that portrayal to their aquascape.

Two stood out. One was a very detailed forest with dead trees in places and large mounds of sand that I recognized were large anthills after looking at it for a while. The next was a completely moss covered, twisted jungle of woods that not only made you study the layout, but then ask: just how in the heck? not because of unique design (although it was) or rare plant selection because it was only moss, but because somehow, in some way, and for some reason the aquascaper looked as if he'd managed to slightly kill the moss in portions purposefully and it made it look real. I spent the next 10 minutes trying to guess as to how, or in what way, he achieved said look of decayed undergrowth but after pretty confidently coming up with an idea as to how I would imitate such a look, I still felt safe to say that even if I figured out the method I was still probably wrong, and it didn't do me any good because I'd never know what inspired it.

An imitation of an aquascape even at it's best is still an imitation - of an imitation - of nature's tapestry and with each generation of imitation - even the 1st one - a large portion of what nature did to make it so captivating in the first place is forever lost. It degrades in such a way as tracing paper might after one person traces an of a mountain range or a forest, then passes it down a line without the original where the next person quickly erases the lines and then attempts to draw it from the lines etched into the paper from the first person and their own memory, then passes it down for someone else to erase and try a similar trace, then another, then again, again...

Guess that's a follow-up to the post you quoted. The idea has been burned somewhere in my head, but I haven't followed it anywhere yet worth recreating.

 

It's interesting you mentioned it when you did - I had just been paying attention to a particular scape out the back of my house that I wanted to recreate in my cube tank. Without wanting to hijack this thread - I have some pictures that might help illustrate your point/offer me advice

So this is the scene, I walk through it everyday. To work.




And back again.




In order to recreate it I think there are 2 main tree types. The tall, thin trees and the smaller branched trees.




There are a few plant types, the spiny nettles and the elongated leafy bush next to it in the middle.




And this darker, rounder leafed bush along the edges.




It's not completely densely grown, but mainly, but for some bare patches and a path where people clearly walk.







Any suggestions on plant types? I was thinking about recreating a 'winter' look, essentially meaning I can forget the leaves on the tall trees making my life easier.

It actually reminds me somewhat of your other tank - the forest one, but with less moss.

What do you think?

 

It's interesting you mentioned it when you did - I had just been paying attention to a particular scape out the back of my house that I wanted to recreate in my cube tank. Without wanting to hijack this thread - I have some pictures that might help illustrate your point/offer me advice

So this is the scene, I walk through it everyday. To work.




And back again.




In order to recreate it I think there are 2 main tree types. The tall, thin trees and the smaller branched trees.




There are a few plant types, the spiny nettles and the elongated leafy bush next to it in the middle.




And this darker, rounder leafed bush along the edges.




It's not completely densely grown, but mainly, but for some bare patches and a path where people clearly walk.







Any suggestions on plant types? I was thinking about recreating a 'winter' look, essentially meaning I can forget the leaves on the tall trees making my life easier.

It actually reminds me somewhat of your other tank - the forest one, but with less moss.

What do you think?

It's totally doable! The last picture is by far my favorite, but the problem is going to come to your tank size. In a nano tank no plants - aside from moss - is going to scale correctly to a whole scene like that. You'd never get the detail and variety that makes the picture natural looking. This would work well in a tank 25-30 gallons, but in my 5 or 7.2 gallon tank there's no way.

The best way to go about it would be to focus on a single main tree nearer the front and a secondary tree on the other side towards the corner. The pieces of wood would have to be tree-like and detailed themselves so if you snapped a photo of it the trees would look as if any foliage they did have was above the tank. That way you're tricking the viewer into thinking outside the tank. Then focus heavily on plants and detail at the base of the tank and make that more interesting than what might be above, so the viewer doesn't care.

The planting becomes the problem, and I'm going to assume we're talking low-tech which cuts variety (which is really key into recreating something natural) and makes it harder. The thick foliage in the pictures is best recreated with mosses. Even though there aren't in visible rocks in that last picture, you'd build the bottom as if there were and attach a combination of weeping moss closer to the front glass, christmas moss towards the middle, and flame moss towards the back.

To provide intricacy I'd plant Marsilea Minuta between the rocks near the second tree, and scarcely in front of the first, then use Anubias Nana var. 'Petite at the base of the nearest tree with Pogostemon Helferi planted slightly behind it. If you can find small Bucephalandra these would also go a long ways to place into it here and there.

As far as a background - not really going for a winter look - I'd use Cabomba because of it's intricate foliage and then stick thin, small twigs through the substrate among it to imitate branches or other trees farther away.

Edit: Let me expand on some of the plants I listed because they aren't atypical of low tech. I don't think of a tank in terms of using blasting sand and root tabs. Using a quality planted tank substrate where you needed plants like Pogostemon HelferI and Cabomba to root, or any other rooting plants would be essential - as well as balancing strong enough lighting without overdoing it. Aside from the Cabomba the plants are slow growing, which means the tank would take a long time to reach a mature state. Those plants came to mind because no one plant should be outperforming the rest, so plants like Pogostemon HelferI and Cabomba should work under low-light instances like this; the pogostemon placed more directly beneath the light and the Cabomba towards the back on the edge of the light where it's weaker in terms of PAR. I can see how I'd try to balance it, but there's no guarantee.

 

Firstly - thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed response!

I have a 12 gallon tank, which could be a bit of a squeeze, but even for the future it's something I'd love to do

I love using moss, I have some flame moss and weeping moss just casually on my driftwood in my 40 gallon, so that definitely appeals.

It's interesting that you chose a particular picture to focus on, rather than the whole! Probably very sensible in hindsight, as we only have some much room!

I like the idea of having a slow growing tank, somewhat more 'natural' - like a forest - despite the fact I realise it would be easier to imitate nature if it was high tech

 

Aquarium Tools - Quality vs Cheap photos: Part 1 of 3 - Page 4 Post # 75 + 76 + 77

Aquascaping Tips And Tricks

Aquarium Tools - Usage: Part 2 of 3

This is a rewrite on a description I made earlier of some of the tools and their purpose in the tank and how I utilize them. I wanted to skip doing this again, but some uses of the tools can be fundamental to the 3rd part of this, which is going to be a descriptive portion of some of the techniques in a tank.

Curved Pincet/Straight Pincet: There are tons more tweezers sold for the planted tank than these two - some some shaped similar to an S while another has a design that looks similar to{ __/---- } but no matter their length or overall design there are simply two types of aquarium tweezers; one will have wider points, while the the other has very narrow points.

• Wider Tweezers: Often if you're buying cheaper tools this is the style you've bought. The wider closing tips are great for moving smaller objects (small stones, pieces of driftwood, etc...), but where these wide ends make grabbing onto some objects very easy what they actually make more difficult is planting into the substrate. The problem is the wide ends are usually larger than the base of the plant you're trying to push into the substrate, so it makes a protective pocket around the stem, so when you insert and then release, the buoyancy of the plant is prone to jetting upwards from the substrate before it has a chance to fill in the pocket left by the ends. It's still very doable, but it's also very bothersome trying to plant the same stem 3+ times.
• Narrow Tweezers: These are opposite of the wider ends. Planting into the substrate is incredibly easy compared to a wider tweezers, but where these are much better for finer planting they are much less usable in terms of shuffling hardscape in a tank - nor would you want to with these. Strictly use these for planting, and buy a cheap wider tweezers for any time you want to grab a small stone without getting your whole arm wet.

Scissors: Just like tweezers, there are many different variations of scissors, but we primarily see three basic styles. Each style is designed to make trimming easier for a specific task. While you could definitely trim a carpet of Hemianthus callitrichoides (Dwarf baby tears/cuba) if you used a straight scissor you would literally have to insert your whole arm, lay the scissor with the blade angled downward but mostly horizontal across the bottom and trim it that way. I've never tried it this way, but I can't imagine I'd do it again anytime thereafter and I wouldn't have a straight line. Our 3 most used scissors + 1 lesser seen:

• Curved Wavy Scissor: This has a very irregular design that's similar to this shape on your keyboard { ~ } except slightly more straightened. This design solves the exact scenario I described above using a straight scissor while trying to make a horizontal cut. This design allows you to trim carpet plants horizontal and uniformed, but the unique design tends to make trying to try other plants in the tank more difficult, as the blade opens and closes slower.
• Curved Scissors: Incredibly simple but practical variation of a straight scissors. By curving the blade this style also solves the scenario above and lats you cut large groupings of plants with quick snips that let you keep your arms and position at about 45 degrees. This is probably the most useful scissors out there, and anything I've done with the other scissors I've done with this one alone just the same. I love this scissor for hacking backgrounds plants down, or pruning moss overgrowth. It's my hack and slash go-to.
• Straight Scissors: Why is it that the scissors we've primarily used our entire life is the least I've used when trimming inside a glass box? It's easy to imagine, actually. It's because to cut a straight line you have to hold a scissor with a straight blade - you guessed it! - straight... This generally makes it a good plant for light pruning and some trimming, but almost anything that can be done by this style is made easier by the two above.
• Spring Scissors: As I pictured in Part 1, there's this little 6 or 6.5" scissors that I have called a spring scissors. I upgraded my tools just shortly after almost 1 year and 6 months of never finding a practical use for the simple straight scissors I had, and almost as soon as I did (trimming vertical growing mosses - Part 3) this dainty snips arrived and aside from a handful of special occasions my straight scissor is collecting dust again. For nano tanks to pruning I love this scissors and would like to see a curved spring scissors 10" long. What does it do? It's designed in a way that places the end of the handle in such a way as when you close the blade these thin pieces of metal compress and the tension they create opens the scissor by use of that force. Essentially self-opening scissors with a small, thin blade (slightly curved on my style) that makes pruning a thick bush of java fern much easier. A 10" scissor no mater the style lacks a certain precision if you're very delicately trying to prune a single bad leaf. Usually when you finally line the blade around the base of the leaf and clip it a lot of times there's a feeling of dismay as you see other portions of leaf or plant you hadn't meant to clip go floating away. These little scissors are awesome for nano tanks, and their self-opening design makes trimming easy.

Substrate Rake: I can't remember exactly what I used to push substrate around before this, but I'd guess I used my hand a lot of the time. That's just fine when it's a new tank, but the thought of pushing the substrate during a remodel of an old one tickles my gag reflex when I think of my fingers sunk deep into uneaten food, fish waste, detritus worms, and whatever else lurked beneath the surface...

99 out of 100 days my substrate rake collects dust with my straight scissors, but when it comes to fixing cosmetic sand, or starting a new tank hardscape it's the only tool I want. It does exactly what it's name describes, and that's moving the substrate. While this isn't a necessary tool, you can pretty much find this on eBay for $2 and it's worth it even if it just hangs there for the next 3-6 months.

 

Part 3 of 3 ~ A Touch of Technique

I never wanted to list out intended uses for the tools in part 2. In fact, I didn't want part 2. I simply wanted comparison shots of different tools - one set versus the other - and then maybe some shots of the tools as I've used them. First, you can only upload 10 s to a post which is why I had to break Part 1 up into different posts. Secondly, none of my tanks are placed in any such way that it's easy to take a picture or even video while I'm working on it. Finally, the more I thought about it the less "Intended Use" even makes sense. I mean, I broke some cheap tweezers trying to pick up a huge rock months ago. In Part 1 that green thread wrapped around the cheap tweezer isn't for looks. It's actually holding the weld together with silicone to prevent the weld from breaking. Then I bent my cheap aquarium rake into a "C"- like shape trying to chip off a thin piece of stone from a rock. When it comes down to it, the intended use for any of the tools is to make things (whatever it is you're doing) easier.

Where We Last Saw Riding Hood
- Sil






While this tank was fun to make and to trim and grow, I began to realize some obvious mistakes I hadn't considered when I laid it out. None of these mistakes are completely obvious at first glance, but the challenge they create comes to the maintenance of the tank which I was asked -

Incredible! I love how it has grown in. You really can envision little red riding hood coming down the path, lol.
How much time do you spend on it? I am finding that switching to live plants means a lot of time to plant, arrange, prune, etc.

I started fixing mistakes 1 by 1, which I was close when I mentioned a full trim takes 2-3 hrs. 3 1/2 hours - timed it, but I was also fixing a few items, as well as planting. What I forgot to mention was the way I did things in the beginning has not only made cleaning a pain, but creates a mess I have to sort through each time.

Day 1:




Background: Note the different heights and layers of Rotala in the back in the picture above. Some of you are probably going to think I'm crazy, but I actually cut that layered look in close to three months ago, then 2 months ago I cut the different heights. You won't be able to see it in virtually any picture but I'm using my imagination to draw a mental pattern at the base of the plants that follows the flow of the tops. The taller plants in the back are cut to about 2" and I trace the curve by cutting the plants from there down to about a 1/2 " - same as the front. 1 month later the plants are growing great again and I'll then cut the very front layer of Rotala into the front pattern. Then I just let it all grow up and out. Normally I'd just do maintenance trims for another couple months, but I wanted to fix some issues, so let me just wreck it.







The background plants are hard to see from any angle because of other plants right now, and because their bases have been blocked from light they're raggedy and mostly leafless.







Mistake #1: Unnecessary hardscape
This reveals my first mistake, which is Unnecessary hardscape. What happened is I was trying to add so much detail in the beginning there's literally hardscape that you never see until I hack portions of the tank down. This isn't even including "trees" I accidentally cut in half while trimming and smaller pieces I took out months ago. In detail perspective they help, but in a maintenance one all this has done is create difficult trimming obstacles which take me longer. There's trees and pieces of trees that once the background goes up you'd never care to know they were hidden. This is an easy fix I can take care of, but haven't right now.

[Unfixable now] Mistake #2: Anchoring Difficult hardscape

So long as I'm not trying to fit my hands and scissors around the background trees the hardscape which is just positioned in place with larger substrate at the base and eco-complete at the top doesn't move, but having to move around all those sticks means I hit them and then have to try and adjust them again.

I realized the most simple solution to this almost immediately when I noticed the problem! I could have made them unmovable by taking 1" styrofoam and placing it on the glass bottom, laying out the trees, and then fitting their bases through the styrofoam and using silicone to glue them in place - THEN poured the larger, lava rock layer, then my finale layer there'd be no adjustment later. That would have worked on %99 of all the trees. All except for the biggest tree, which has become unstable, but just a little. That one I used other pieces of would to support, which also make up the shape itself, as well as setting on two large rocks.


- I trimmed some of the moss on the upper trees - mostly with my straight scissors and spring scissors - then used a hose to siphon all the stray moss I could -25% water. I trim the background Rotola because even with the filter off the moss gets caught in all the plants. Wherever moss ends up, it grows.










[End of Day 1 - continued in Day 2]

 

Day 2:

Note: At the end of each day of altercations I'm following it with a %25 water change to remove plants, detritus and reduce nutrients. During this all the lights remain the same (crypts will kick back if altered) and I stopped dosing nutrients. I'm doing it a day apart to stress the fish less, as well as allow the tank to settle before moving on. Since the tank has no lid the water level is 3" below the top every night to prevent the overstressed fish from darting at floating plant matter, or being spooked, and jumping out. This isn't a problem any other time, but with the shifting of areas the water conditions worsen and...

...These Black Skirts are my babies. All my other fish could up and die, and it would take me a week to notice, but these guys get the best.





I put a lot of detail into the rocks, always imagining they'd be covered in moss. This isn't quite what I ever wanted... The rocks are all similar with rough faces, so moss attaches easily to it and collects in this spot in particular, creating an uphill battle of visible detritus and moss removal. The rocks are forever plague with detritus and look gross. I've known how I could fix this for a long time, but the work.

Mistake #3: Rock selection vs plant growth

I didn't want everything in the front to be covered. Even after trimming I still fight an unnecessary war of fish waste that collects. I wanted the bottom to be more interesting with visible portions of rocks and moss that stayed where I placed it. All of these rocks aren't large enough to finely trim that sort of detail, which is my bad. Again, this could be unnecessary hardscape (which you'll see soon) but really the rough surfaces on the rocks I chose is the problem, so how to fix rocks you want to remain visible and not mossed over?










The solution (at least in my head) comes down to the size of the stones, the plants growth, as well as the texture of the stones I want to remain visible. I'm using smoother stones with detail for the ones I want to be seen that are 3 inches or so, while the ones I want to grow the moss again used very rough textured stones that are about 1 inch. In this sense I feel like I'm planting the moss in a set path I want it to take down the road instead of tying it to stones and trying to tame it by trimming it back all too often. I'm using my cheap wide pincet to arrange rocks, and only the planting pincet to place the Dwarf Baby Tears into the substrate at the base, and then fit moss in places I want it to start.

It doesn't look like I did much more than mess up that section of the tank, but I'm hoping time will prove otherwise.

I removed substrate and some of the previous stones, then added 5 stones to it. This is the portions I removed that you never knew were there.





Shortly after first doing this tank I realized some vital information I'd been overlooking. Over complication of a hardscape is far worse in the long run than simplifying it visually during the first steps. When it comes to placement, if it's not seen in the end result then why is it there in the first place? has become one of my rules. Of course, if it's not seen and it serves a purpose such as placement for plants or a retaining wall for substrate, then the rule is negate.

I could have totally snapped some intricate photos once it was all grown it by adding hardscape at the very end for that photo, but by complicating it initially the tank was destined to always become overgrown in poor design.

 

Please pin this, it's a great introduction to aquascaping!

 

Another nice write up Silister Trench . Incredible growth, as you note. I hope some day I can get some. For now this comes in handy as a building block tool. Thank you so much for sharing.
Brian

 

Another nice write up Silister Trench . Incredible growth, as you note. I hope some day I can get some. For now this comes in handy as a building block tool. Thank you so much for sharing.
Brian

Hey thanks! I'm still adding as I go, just lack the time right now!

 

It's outstanding how you find the time you do, to write these in-depth articles, for which I am ever grateful.

 

It's outstanding how you find the time you do, to write these in-depth articles, for which I am ever grateful.

Winters in Minnesota last a long time, and there's not many exciting activities in the cold, so it's easy to spare time.

Geographically lucky, or unlucky, depending on your perception and a glass half-full/glass half-empty.

 

Half full for me based on this post